Abstract: The papers consist primarily of Brossard's writings and research materials, the bulk of which pertain to the history of the
Venezuelan oil industry and to modern Venezuelan politics. In addition, the papers contain a considerable quantity of research
materials relating to the general history of the international petroleum industry. The research materials are comprised
largely of reports, serial issues, and clippings, and are grouped by subject. The papers include some correspondence relating
both to Brossard's research and to her career as a professor of political science at a number of American universities.

Physical Location: Hoover Institution Archives

Languages: In
English and
Spanish

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

The Hoover Institution Archives only allows access to
copies of audiovisual items. To listen to sound recordings or to view videos or films during your visit, please contact the Archives
at least two working days before your arrival. We will then advise you of the accessibility of the material you wish to see
or hear. Please note that not all audiovisual material is immediately accessible.

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. To determine if this has occurred, find
the collection in Stanford University's online catalog Socrates at
http://library.stanford.edu/webcat . Materials have been added to the collection if the number of boxes listed in Socrates is larger than the number of boxes
listed in this finding aid.

Biographical/Historical Note

1928

Born, San Juan, Puerto Rico

1940

Bachelor of Arts, University of Wisconsin at Madison

1971

Doctorate in political science, Claremont College

1983

Author,
Petroleum?Politics and Power

1993

Author,
Petroleum Research and Venezuela's INTEVEP: The Clash of the Titans

2001

Author,
Power and Petroleum: Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia, a Troika?

1973-1975

Teaches at Hillsdale College, Michigan

1975-1982

Visiting professor and then associate professor of government, University of West Florida, Pensacola

1982-1991

Associate professor of government, Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge

Scope and Content of Collection

The papers consist primarily of Brossard's writings and research materials, the bulk of which pertain to the history of the
Venezuelan oil industry and to modern Venezuelan politics. In addition, the papers contain a considerable quantity of research
materials relating to the general history of the international petroleum industry. The research materials are comprised
largely of reports, serial issues, and clippings, and are grouped by subject. The papers include some correspondence relating
both to Brossard's research and to her career as a professor of political science at a number of American universities.

Emma Brossard derived her knowledge of Venezuela from personal experience-she spent part of her childhood there-and from her
study of the country's politics and oil industry. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on Rómulo Betancourt, president of
Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964. Brossard went on to write numerous articles and several monographs
on the Venezuelan oil industry. In her last years, Brossard was a fierce critic of the current Venezulan president, Hugo
Chávez, and the papers contain her articles and research materials on Chávez.

The papers contain extensive documentation on the activities of Petróleos de Venezuela, the country's national oil company,
as well as those of its many subsidiaries. These materials include annual reports, financial statements, statistics, and
articles from the Venezuelan press. There are also papers from a number of conferences held on the subject of the Venezuelan
oil industry. As a whole, the materials trace the history of the Venezuelan oil industry from its beginnings down to the
Chávez era.

A significant portion of the papers concern Brossard's teaching career at Louisiana State University, Hillsdale College, and
the University of West Florida. These materials include her correspondence with academic officials and students, speeches
and addresses made by Brossard, and course materials from classes she taught.

There are some sound and video recordings in the papers, including an audio interview of Rómulo Betancourt conducted by Brossard
in 1970 (box 1). The papers also contain the first volume of Emma Brossard's unpublished memoirs (box 40), as well as articles
and papers relating to one of Brossard's former teachers, the political philosopher Leo Strauss (boxes 9, 49, and 53).

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.